Debbie Baxter

Lives and works in Portland, OR, USA

Artist statement

I believe that Art is one of our deepest and oldest tools for healing. After years of witnessing how trauma silences, fragments, and isolates, I founded 'The Nest Project' to reimagine vulnerability… Not as shame, but as strength. What I build with my hands (nest structures), and what I capture with my camera (portraiture), is a shared space: a place to tend to wounds, hold hard stories, and make visible what is too often hidden. Since 2016, beginning with a self-portrait in my backyard in a nest that I built with my son, I have been constructing human-sized nests with individuals and communities. Most recently, the participants of my work include survivors of sexual abuse and sex trafficking, people impacted by incarceration, and those seeking a transformative experience. Each of these individuals carries a story of resilience and pain, and together we explore how creativity, community, and shared presence can open pathways toward healing. Spanning installation, sculpture, photography, and voice, this work utilizes the nest as both shelter and stage, setting and subject. It is where safety and exposure meet. My hope is that through my work, we slow down, create safe spaces, and remember how to see the vulnerable parts of ourselves and each other with compassionate eyes.

Artwork